Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Diego Maradona has died

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–338 of 338 posts

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#331

Post by pyman »

pritovido wrote: post #133
Daishiman wrote: post #116

I'll represent the other, unpopular side: the man did as much if not more damage than all the glory he had. As a footballer his career was finished pretty much 30 years ago. He left the '94 World Cup testing positive for drugs in what was a national embarrassment. His career as a manager was a disaster that existed purely off his prior fame. It's an embarrassment that we are unable to move on past things that happene…

I agree with you. I was in Spain, and Maradona played there while he was not yet the shadow of himself that became later. Lots of people admired this man but when he started doing stupid things like being totally drunk and stoned on public, most people stopped admiring him in all places but in Argentina. I traveled to places like Bariloche and specially Buenos Aires for a very sort time,a month or so, and I could not…

First of all, most people admire Maradona as a footballer, not as a person. His unique skills are admired by fans and footballers all over the world, including Lineker, Emlyn Hughes, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Romario, Pep Guardiola, Mourinho, Zidane, Platini, Messi, etc. If you don't consider his abilities to be outstanding, then you are probably not a big football fan.

Secondly, what's your definition of "being a cheat" in football? Let me remind you that kicking Maradona during a match, trying to break his legs so he can no longer play, is cheating. Punching, pushing, hurting someone on purpose is cheating. Even one of the BBC commentators, Emlyn Hughes, said during the England vs Argentina match: "Oh, that was awful. He deserves a red car. Oh well, looks like we got away with it".

Yes, hurting a player on purpose is cheating (England 1986), faking a penalty is cheating (Germany 1990), and scoring a goal with your hand is also cheating (Argentina 1986).

This is why FIFA invented the concept of Fair Play, to stop the English players from hurting others. And also why FIFA invented the VAR, to stop Argentine players from scoring goals with their hand and Germans from faking penalties.

Please, lets stop with the double standards.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#332

Post by pyman »

balabaster wrote: post #134
gus_massa wrote: post #48

In case someone has not seen the second goal against England in 1986 Original footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wVho3I0NtU An interview many years later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOz2uGMTA2w

I watched this game live in 1986... the atmosphere that day, in that heat and altitude they had to play in, even on the little 14" TV we had in our house was palpable. There was something about the quality of the colors, the weather, the camera work, even to this day you can distinguish the video from the '86 World Cup at a glance of just a couple of seconds. It still brings back such amazing memories from my childho…

> someone I considered to be a massive cheat,

What's your definition of "being a cheat" in football? Let me remind you that kicking Maradona during a match, trying to break his legs so he can no longer play, is cheating. Punching, pushing, hurting someone on purpose is cheating. Even one of the BBC commentators, Emlyn Hughes, said during the England vs Argentina match: "Oh, that was awful. He deserves a red car. Oh well, looks like we got away with it".

And yes, scoring a goal with your hand is also cheating. Did Maradona scored a goal with his hand? Yes. Did the English team kick and hurt Maradona the entire match. Yes, I saw it with my own eyes.

This is why FIFA invented the concept of Fair Play, to stop players from kicking and hurting others. And why they invented the VAR, to stop them from scoring goals with their hand.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#333

Post by pyman »

Daishiman wrote: post #141
corpMaverick wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you. But it is not like first world countries are inmune. Just look at a current president whose lies, cheating and incompetence are inexplicably excused by 70 million first world voters.

Oh I'm not saying that it's immune at all, but the outrage against Trump is at the very least visible and palpable and those who excuse them are visibly ashamed of the support.

I think you lack the ability to understand and share the feelings of "the other" group.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#334

Post by pyman »

PaulRobinson wrote: post #293
mellosouls wrote: post #46

A love/hate relationship with the English who I seem to remember voted the infamous Hand of God goal the worst, and the same match's blistering run and finish against them the best ever. Incredible talent, flawed man.

I have a team mate from Argentina here in London. We were talking about Maradona a few weeks back. I thought when talking about him that if he showed up in London, there would be a mob around him, but it would be 50% people wanting his signature and selfies, and the other 50% would want to give him a piece of their mind about the Hand of God goal. He probably wouldn't have been safe in London. As a Man City supporter…

Imagine how the Argentines felt when they saw the English team kicking Maradona, trying to hurt him and break his legs during the match, knowing it was a one man team. My point is, in football no one expects you to like your opponents. So there's nothing wrong with not liking Maradona :)

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#335

Post by pyman »

osullivj wrote: post #303
pyman wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Argentina did not loose the war, that's what Brits don't understand, a facist dictator lost the war. You see, in 1982 my family and the entire country was at war with an Argentinean dictator, when suddenly Margaret Tatcher, an unpopular Prime Minister at that time, saw the opportunity and instead of de-escalating the tension between UK and the dictator, she decided to go to war with him. What the media didn't tell th…

Maradona scored against England, not Britain. In athletics the UK competes as one nation: GB. In football the four UK nations compete separately; England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. IIRC this is FIFA recognition of the British origins of the beautiful game.

Interesting, thanks. I have to admit that it's a bit confusing: GB, UK, England.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#336

Post by prmph »

ToFab123 wrote: post #274

I face palmed when I saw Pele say "We will play soccer together in heaven ". Pele was he even a good soccer player. Nobody knows. He never played in a European club or tournament against and with the world's best players. He choose to spend he entire career playing in the USA. The US, at that time, was not big into soccer. Had no good players or soccer environment. They had a lot of amateurs and showmanship and if yo…

In case you're wondering, you're being downvoted because your comment is full of factual errors.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#337

Post by phreack »

mrleinad wrote: post #320
phreack wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is photographic evidence of him partying naked with minors, corroborated by witnesses.

Witnesses can be bought. Pictures can't be fully trusted (unless you think you can see someone's age floating above their head). Give me judicial processes and hard evidence if there's any.

This is a topic I loathe, and I will not search for and provide any of the photographic evidence even if they've been published on many tabloids as they're absolutely sickening, not to mention possibly illegal on some jurisdictions.

There's no one who's willing to initiate court proceedings about these matters (it's particularly hard on countries like Cuba), so if the existing public evidence is not enough for you, then nothing will be, so there's no further discussion to be had as it's unlikely any further developments will occur now that he's died.

Re: Diego Maradona has died

#338

Post by pyman »

brudgers wrote: post #140
mongol wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This goal was incredible, but with many years passed, it has faded in significance for me. Not sure why, if it is because the game has evolved, or I have seen many other great goals, or something else. But probably because I think the defense was too passive. This goal would not be done today, most probably.

A few years afterwards, the game began speeding up. The goal is from an earlier era. Before the backpassing was outlawed. Before tactical fouls earned a yellow card. Before hacking fell out of the game. One of the remarkable features of the goal is that he avoided being pulled/pushed/kicked down by any of the defenders. Another remarkable feature is that it happened at 2200m, in July, with 1986 air quality. Futbol in…

> One of the remarkable features of the goal is that he avoided being pulled/pushed/kicked down by any of the defenders

100%! The 80s was an era of defensive brutality, when horrendos tackles from behind were allowed. Tricky dribblers like Maradona were routinely hacked down. Even Emlyn Hughes said during the England vs Argentina match: "Oh, that was awful tackle by Terry Fenwick. He deserves a red car. Oh well, looks like he got away with it".

Post reply on HN